KU’s Upset Win over No. 17 Tennessee Resets Tone for the 2025 Season

The Kansas Jayhawks are not used to playing the role of the spoiler, but they played it well on Wednesday night during their 81-76 upset win over No. 17 Tennessee inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

KU entered the game as 5.5-point underdogs against a previously undefeated Tennessee Volunteers squad who just defeated No. 3 Houston 76-73 on Tuesday.

The win gave Kansas a third place finish in the Players Era Championship – resulting in a $300,000 payday in Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) funds to the team. This is in addition to the $1 million guaranteed NIL compensation each team received just for participating in the tournament.

Kansas guard Tre White led the way for the Jayhawks in the first half, scoring all 14 of his points while not missing a shot from the field. He was a perfect 3-of-3 from the field, 2-for-2 from three-point range and made both of his free throw attempts.

Flory Bidunga struggles in the first half were a big reason why Kansas trailed 41-34 at the half. He scored just four points while going 2-of-11 from the field.

Tennessee led by as many as 12 early in the second half before KU went on a run thanks to the unlikely heroics of Elmarko Jackson off the bench. He scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half – including one stretch where he scored 11 straight points for the Jayhawks.

It was easily his best performance of the year and the biggest win for KU thus far in the 2025-26 season.

It’s the type of win that can and should propel this team through the remainder of a tough non-conference slate that includes a home matchup against No. 5 UConn, a neutral site game versus rival Missouri, and a road trip to No. 23 NC State.

After the game, head coach Bill Self praised his team for the fight they showed in the comeback win.

“I’ve complained about us being soft, but today we were tough.” - Bill Self#RockChalk | #KUbball pic.twitter.com/td50JcoOkt
— Dillon Davis (@dillondavis3) November 27, 2025

They proved they can beat a top 20 team without their big star Darryn Peterson, and his absence has allowed other players to step up and show they can carry the load when he’s not on the court.

That may have been in question prior to tonight, but it isn’t any longer. The Jayhawks have proven that once Peterson returns from injury and this team really starts to hit their stride, they will be able to compete with anyone in the country.